Bushwalk Australia

I will be walking the Jatbula trail at the end of the month and have given myself a week to check out some other national parks and acclimatise before I start the trail.

Can anyone suggest other walks, either day walks or overnighters that I should check out before I start? The hire car is not a 4wd so I would be limited to areas not that far off the beaten track.

Cheers

You could look into the Tabletop Track in Litchfield for a multi-day walk - there are a lot of shorter walks in Litchfield, most of which accessible via 2wd. As well, the swimming here is excellent as for the most part you do not have to worry too much as it is mostly up on the escarpment.

There are also plenty of walks that start at Katherine Gorge other than the Jatbula as well that you should check out. Another option is to hire a canoe and take it up the gorge for something a little different (did this many years ago).

https://nt.gov.au/leisure/parks-reserve ... ional-park

As well, if you get the chance head south of Katherine to Mataranka - Bitter Springs is a favourite spot with camping nearby. Mataranka Thermal Springs is not as nice but worth a look. If you do not get time, while in Katherine, check out Katherine Hot Springs just south of town.

The clifftop track up to the Eighth Gorge at Nitmiluk is good, with a number of sidetrips plus the Jawoyn Valley loop. It can be done as a long daywalk but is better as an overnighter.

There's a track along the Roper River in Elsey NP. Nice little walk. Most of the main Kakadu tracks are accessible by 2wd, so there's plenty you can do there, plus Litchfield, which has a fair bit of walking apart from the Tabletop. If you can get a bit further afield, there are some great short walks in Judbarra (Gregory NP) and Keep River, although the extra driving might be a bit much for you.

Thanks lseries92 and NNW for the suggestions.

After looking into some of the places I think i'll spend a few days at Litchfield then head down to Mataranka via Douglas Daly before heading back up to Nitmiluk. Judbarra and Keep River look excellent but i'll save that for another time, same thing with Kakadu.

Thanks again

lseries92 wrote:Bitter Springs is a favourite spot with camping nearby.

Bitter is beautiful but unfortunately the hordes have discovered it. Even the bus tours go there now.

north-north-west wrote:Bitter is beautiful but unfortunately the hordes have discovered it. Even the bus tours go there now.

That's a shame, I was hoping to find some of the lesser known gems but I have mentally prepared myself for the masses. You get quickly used to the peacefulness of bushwalking in Tas, for the moment at least.

G'day mate

While no top end expert I'd second the Tabletop Track as a good three day warm up . It's a circuit and 2wd accessible. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this is a nice walk but not as nice as the Jatbula (for mine) so you can be building expectations ! You'd want a map though which may or may not be available in Batchelor (although it is pretty well marked). The gorge at Nitmiluk is something else again but you'd want a pack raft for the best of it
Anyway some pics of the Tabletop at the link if you wish to get an idea
https://mildadventureswithmickb.blogspo ... ional.html

Cheers
Mick

mbatch wrote:The gorge at Nitmiluk is something else again but you'd want a pack raft for the best of it
Anyway some pics of the Tabletop at the link if you wish to get an idea
https://mildadventureswithmickb.blogspo ... ional.html

Cheers
Mick

Thanks for the info, we had toyed with the idea of bringing the packrafts with us but decided against it. We might just rent a kayak for a day and get a taste for next time. Great website, you've just added another dozen trips to my ever growing list.

Cheers

I think there are now limits on how far you can take the rental kayaks. A pity as, with a bit of portage, you can paddle a plastic fantastic to the top of the ninth gorge. Beyond that is definitely packraft territory. Or just climb up and walk the clifftop.

Thanks, glad you found something useful in there. Sorry to add to the 'to do' list, it never gets shorter ! Have a top trip